Mail handling apparatus



June 21, 1960 H. KRIEMELMEYER, JR 2,941,653

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Deo. 2, 1957 INVENTOR #Vw/w@ www H. KR|EMELMEYER, JR 2,941,653

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS -4 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 21, 1960 Filed Deo. 2, 1957 .N .mlm A June 21, 1960 H. KRIEMELMEYER, JR 2,941,653

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Deo. 2, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 LS BY @w1 @im ATT' *R Ys June 21, 1960 H. KRIEMELMEYER, JR 2,941,653

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2, 195? 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR QMETOR 5 lUnited States Patent O MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Harry Kriemelmeyer, Jr., Silver Spring, Md., assigner to Emerson Radio & Phonograph Corporation, Jersey City, NJ., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 2, 1957, Ser. No. 700,051

8 Claims. (Cl. 198-31) The present invention is directed to the art concerning conveying and processing of very large volumes of single, light-weight, flat articles, such as letter mail, and isl more particularly concerned with providing improved apparatus for the handling and conveying of letter mail pieces preliminary to automatic operations thereon.

In our current economy, the expeditious handling and processing of mail has become Vital to the eicient conduct of business and communication. The volume of mail pieces has become so large as to encumber and literally swamp the postal facilities at the larger metropolitan post ofiices, handling many millions of pieces of mail daily. Problems of conveying and processing this great volume of mail pieces, having various shapes and sizes, have not heretofore been efliciently solved, resulting in delay in delivery of mail and uneconomical utilization of space, equipment and manpower.

. 4In solving this problem of mail handling, the first step is to provide a rapid oW of mail pieces preferably in a stream of single units to permit subsequent individual operation on such pieces, such as cancelling, sorting, stacking and the like. Copending application Serial No. 683,284, iiled September 11, 1957, in the name of Milton A. Stovall for Mail Handling Apparatus, and assigned to .the same assignee as the present application, describes and claims apparatus useful in converting bulk mail of irregular quantity and size into a flowing stream having a generally uniform average llow but with specific irregularities and overlappings. Copending application Serial No. 696,393, filed November 14, .-1957, now Patent No. 2,905,309, in the name of C. G. Maknid for Mail Handling Apparatus and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, now Patent 2,905,309, issued September 22, 1959, describes and claims apparatus useful in transporting individual pieces of letter mail by means of vacuum belts and for stacking and feeding such pieces. Copending application Serial No. 684,800, filed September 18, 1957 in the name of David G. Falconer for Mail Handling Apparatus and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, describes and claims apparatus useful in converting an irregular quantity and volume of mail pieces ilowng in a stream into a more uniform and regular flow, and in particular describes and claims apparatus for thinning out an irregular stream of letter pieces and simultaneously speeding it up, while at the same time inhibiting clumping or doubling up of the letter pieces.

The present invention is particularly intended to be used at the output of the Falconer thinning sections Where it will receive a rapid flow of letter mail which has been thinned `and strung out but which may not necessarily be in the form of single isolated pieces following one another in spaced arrangements as is desirable for subse- ICC Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from consideration of the following description of a preferred emb-odiment thereof taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is atop plan view of the apparatus of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation View of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan cross-sectional view of said apparatus viewed along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial elevational cross-sectional view viewed along line l4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a further partial elevational cross-sectional View taken along line 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the exit portion of the apparatus, viewed from line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section along line 7--7 of Figs. l and 4; y

Fig.` 8 is another fragmentary vertical cross-section along line 8-8 of Figs. 1 and 4;

Fig. 9 is still another fragmentary vertical cross-section along line 9-9 of Figs. 1 and 5; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal cross-section along line 1li-10 of Fig. 5. l'

A general plan view of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1 where the first stage at the night hand end forms essen* tially a final thinning section generally of the type described and claimed in the abovementioned Falconer application.

Referring iirst to the Figs. 1 and 4, a horizontal con'- veyor belt 41 which may also form a part of a preceding thinning unit, conveys letters standing on edge into the unit from the right hand side as seen in Fig;` 1. This horizontal conveyor belt =41 mayillustratively have a linear speed of the order of 65 inches per second. At the entrance to this final thinning section is a pair of idler rollers S2 and 53, about each of which pass three separate belts. The center belt 59 passing around. idler roller 52 also passes around a drive roller 57 and a tensioning idler roller 5S. Drive roller 57 maintains belt S9 rotating at a constant speed faster than that of horizontal belt 41 and illustratively of the order of magnitude of 80 inches per second. The top and bottom belts 54 and 56 passing around the entrance idler roller 52 also pass over a further drive roller 61 downstream of drive roller 57 and over a separate tensioning idler 62 by which belts 54 and 56 are rotated in the same direction and at the same source of vacuum pressure.

quent operations upon such letter pieces. The present speed as belt 59. Belt 59 is provided with a plurality of rows of apertures 11, two rows being illustrated, and passes in sliding contact over the outer face 12 of a vacuum manifold 77 connected by pipe 154 to a suitable Manifold 77 has a corresponding plurality of rows of ports 16 adapted to register with the belt apertures 11 as the belt 59 passes along manifold surface 12. Apertures 11 are larger than ports 16, and desirably may overlap two ports.

In a generally similar way, the other input idler roller 53 has three belts passing around it, namely a central belt 63 and a pair of outerbelts 64, 66 above and below belt 63. The outer belts 64, 66 are driven by a drive roller 69 around a tensioning idler roller 71 and in a backward direction at a lower speed than belts 54, 56 and 59, illustratively of the order of 30 inches per second. The center belt 63 is driven by a drive roller 67 about i a tensioning idler roller 68 at the same speed at belts 64,

and 66, and in the same direction. A roller 72 pivotally mounted at 73 is urged against the belts 63, 64, 66 by suitable spring means, not shown, and a stop is profl vided at 74 for setting the spacing of the gap at 76 between the forward rotating belts 54, 56, 59 and the rearward belts 63, 64, 66. Roller 72 is set to maintain a nearly zero gap 76 (say 1p to .015 inch).between.the `twosets leftward in Fig. l', by means of horizontal belt 4&1 and forward belts 54, 59, -56, it enters the inuenc'e of manifold 77, which lcauses the closest letter to be positively suckedl up against belt 59 :and-toi be moved with the belt. As the clump approaches the `gapf 76, the -two sets of belts converge. While `one letter is held against :belt 59 by vacuum pressure, the 'others -are swept back by the rearward belts 64, 63, 66 which preferably have friction surfaces. In this way, the one positively held letter passes through gap 76 while the others are delayed at the fg'ap. This causes a -final thinning action on the stream of mail to :help Vform the desired flow of single pieces with no overlapping.

v -As the letters Yleave Vthe final thinning gap 76, they are supplied to the feeder section, and pass from Vhorizontal belt -41 -to the subsequent horizontal belt 51, traveling faster than belt 41, with la speed representatively 110 inches per second. At the saine time the letter positively transported through gap 76 continues 'to be positively transported by a further vacuum belt 81 .passing over an idler roller 82, drive roller 186, and tensioning rollers 8-7 angl-'88. Belt 81 again is la'center belt with a pair of outer belt's91, 92 cooperating therewith -and driven at the same speed. These latter belts are also driven by drive roller F86, over tensioning roller 87, "tensioning rollerf90jandidler rollers 83 Kand 84. The belts 81, 91, W2-operate at considerably higher speed than the preceding belts andillustratively may have a speed of the order of 130 inches per second.

- vr-Belt A81 ,passes \over -alvacuum kmanifold :hav-ing sections l 79,111, 112, 113, l11'4. Each of these manifold sections Vis coupled to the vacuum V=line 1'4, either-directly or by way of an adjaoinin'g section. vSections 111 and `113 are genorally thinner -in adirection lnormal to belt y81 than are case-may be.

Manifold section 79 for an initial region has rows bf ports Y121 substantially Y'aligned with -the ports 16 of manifold f77, fand 1belt-81liasrcorresponding rows 122 of apertures lin the form of short yslots each spanning at -leasttwo Sports 121. `Belt'81 also has two further rows of Lapertures `or lslo'ts 123 staggered both vertically and longitudinally with respect to rows 122. The manifold ports A1121 yterminate after a short distance and are replaced by rows of .ports 124 in `alignment with belt slots #123 which 'continue to 'transport the letters. Manifold-sections f111 'and the first part of section 112 are Vsimilar ito 79 and continue the let-'ter transport. However, manifold section 113 has a slight bend at 1.26 adjacent roller 84, cand just before that point, lthe :manifold -port rows -1-24 end, and ,por't rows 121 piek 'up-again, iin registry `with Abelt slots 122. 'By this combination -of -bend 126 'and shift inthe tport rows, accidentaldoubling can lue-eliminated. Thus, Vlif two flett'ers :arrive-at bend 126 in partly'overlapped condition, the one away from the -belt 81 is `at rleast partly rel'eased iand -c'an be removed. For example, if the r`'two letters lare exactly even or if fthe outer one lags slightly, "then tits leading edge is not.

held'fby vacuum, being blocked `off 1by`th'e inner letter. If outer detter vleads 'the -inn'er one slightly, then as :ports 9124 V`Arelease Vthe fleading foute'r letter, ports 121 attract *only 'the f inner letter, again Jreleasing the edge of `rthewut'er letter. fByivirtueof the bend 126, this Ireleased edgeef @theouter fletterfwillgnot fouow the lbelt l's1 laroma thetbendfbut willfinsteadl'be directed-'against the doublesremoving belt 103 and the outer letter is then removed as is described below.

The inner letters and all single letters follow belt 81 about bend 126 under the attraction of manifold sections 113 and 114. To provide further attraction and avoid any harmful effects from belt 103, manifold 114 may have ports 124 as well as 121 `t'o increase the attractive force on the letters, which then pass between guide 127 and belt 81 to a pressure idler 134 opposite drive roller 86 and are ejected to the subsequent letter processing apparatus vto the left, such as automatic 'cancelling and7or sorting devices.

The pick-off belt arrangement for eliminating doubles or overlapping letters is illustrated in Figs. l and 6, the latter being a view 'from the output end. This pick-off arrangement comprises a vacuum manifold 101 having ra curved outer edge 102 of low friction surface over which passes the pick-off belt v103 driven by a drive roller l1-04about an idler roller 106 and a tensioning roller 107. The curved manifold 101 extends close to the belt -81 .at the -gap -108 which is near the bend 126 where the belt 81 has a slight change in direction. In effect the picksoff belt 103 is a continuation of the Yoriginal path of the kletters. Pick-olf belt 103 runs at a far greater speed lin 'the forward direction than vdoes the vacuum belt 81. Illustratively this speed may be -of the-order of 200 inches ."per second. AIf a =letter is being transported -by vacuum 'belt r81 -by itself, it will be held Itightly against belt 81 and will `pass the bend 126 spacedsufliciently from the 'pickoff belt A103 so that the latter will have no influence. However, if Vtwo letters arrive at vthis bend overlapped, -as shown #above the outer one yhas a loose front edge. In such case :the Vinner letter would proceed normally through the apparatus as previously indicated. Thesecond iletter however would proceed along `a straight path and its leading edge would not the corner but would -be picked vup by the pick-off belt 103. In view ofthe greater vspeed of the pick-olf belt and of its greater attracting force provided vby larger ports than used on the drive belt $1, `the pick-o belt 103 would therefore snatch olf the lseeond letter and carry it around the curved lmanifold -102 to an exit channel 109 whereby such a letter may 'be 're- :ject'ed Vfrom the main stream of new. A roller-110 driven preferably at 'the Vsame `speed as the pick-olf fbelt 103 v4'as'- sists in diverting .letters to 'the 'reject channel A109 if-any Vle'tte'rs are :not held fully against'the drive belt 81.

In `overall operation, it will now beclear 'that the stream of entering at the fleft is further thinned by the -nal kthinning section whose gap 76 'is of the-order of the'thi'cle ness `of -a single postcard, so that all doubles are swept back and the stream is strung out more uniformly. In passing from the thinning section :to the 'iinal feeder section, the abrupt speed-up between belts 41 and 51 fand belts 59 and S1 snatches each letter .from the section Voutput 'to .put a gap between it and the following letter. l-Iowever, there is no fixed-spacing between-leading edges 'of successive letters, so that the ratelof ilow yis variable with letter length, with more shorter letters 'or lfewer longer letters per unit time, as the case 'may be.

lAny further-overlapping which may occur is removed 4by the Vpick-olf arrangement.

I lIt will be understood that the various drive rollers, belts and the rlike may be supplied with lmotive power from any suitable source, such as oneor more motors `through suitable belts, gears, chains, or the like, to 'derive the various "speed relationships indicated aibove. Fig'sJZ and 3 illustrate but one example of such motive power,

from 'motors 131, 132, 133 through various pulley 'and belt arrangements whose design is readily 'withintheshkill of :the and -lne'ed not be described further here.

It fwill be understood that the above vdescripton'isillustrativeenly, since many apparently widely dilening 'arrangements may be readily ^devised within the spirit of the invention, whose scope is 4dene'd 'solely vby the 'appended claims.

What is claimed is: f 1. A letter-conveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports eX- tending along one surface thereof, a flexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertures adapted to a register successively with said ports so as to retain a letter continuously against said belt to be transported therewith, said manifold surface having a |bend at a point along said series of ports whereby said belt-retained letters are caused to divert from an original direction of motion to a new direction, while the leading edges of overlapped letters momentarily continue along said original direction, and means adjacent said bend for engaging said overlapped letter-leading edges and disengaging said overlapped letters from said belt, said last means comprising a pick-olf vacuum manifold having a surface along said original direction adjacent said letter-leading edges, said surface having a series of ports therealong, and a pickoif belt moving along said pick-oif manifold surface and having a series of apertures adapted successively to register with said pick-olf manifold ports, whereby'said overlapped letter-leading edges are attracted to said pick-off belt and manifold and are separated thereby from said retained letters, said pick-olf belt having a speed substantially greater than said first belt speed.

2. A letter-conveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports extending -along one surface thereof, a flexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertur adapted to register successively with said ports so as to retain a letter continuously against said belt to be transported therewith, said manifold surface having a bend at a point -along said series of ports whereby said belt-retained letters are caused to divert from an original direction of motion to a new direction, while the leading edges of overlapped letters momentarily continue along said original direction, and means adjacent said bend for engaging said overlapped letter-leading edges and disengaging said overlapped letters from said belt, saidlast means comprising a pick-0E vacuum manifold having a surface along said original direction adjacent said letter-leading edges, said surface having a series of ports therealong, and a pickoff belt moving along said pick-off manifold surface and having a series of apertures adapted successively to register with said pick-'olf manifold ports, whereby said overlapped letter-leading edges are attracted to said pick-off belt and manifold and are separated thereby from said retained letters.

3. A letter-conveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports extending along one surface thereof, a iiexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertures adapted to register successively with said ports so as to retain a letter continuously against said belt to be transported therewith, said manifold surface having a bend at a point along said series of ports whereby said belt-retained letters are caused to divert from an original direction of motion to a new direction, while the leading edges of overlapped letters momentarily continue along said original direction, a curved pick-olf vacuum manifold having a surface with a portion adjacent the intersection of said original and new directions, said surface having a series of pick-off ports therealong, and a moving pick-off belt juxtaposed to said latter surface and having a series of apertures therealong adapted successively to register with said pick-off ports.

4. A letter-conveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports extending along one surface thereof, a flexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertures adapted to register successively with said ports so as to retain a letter continuously `against said belt to be transported therewith, said manifold surface having a bend at a point along said series of ports whereby said belt-retained letters are caused to divert from an original direction of motion to a new direction, while the leading edges of overlapped letters momentarily continue along said original direction, a curved pick-off vacuum manifold having a surface with a portion adjacent the intersection of said original and new directions, said surface having a series of pick-olf ports therealong, and a moving pick-off belt juxtaposed to said latter surface and having a series of apertures therealong adapted successively to register with said pick-off ports, `said pick-off belt having a speed substantially greater than said first belt speed.

5. A letterconveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports extending along one `surface thereof, a iiexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertures adapted to register successively with said ports so as to retain a letter continuously against said belt to be transported therewith, means at a point along the path of said retained letters for releasing an edge of overlapped letters, and means adjacent said point for removing said overlapped letters, said last means comprising a pick-01T vacuum manifold having a sur-face along said original direction adjacent said letter-leading edges, said surface having a series of ports therealong, and a pick-olf belt moving along said pick-olf manifold surface and having a series of apertures adapted successively to register with said pick-off manifold ports, whereby said overlapped letter-leading edges are attracted to said pick-off belt and manifold and are separated thereby from said retained letters, said pick-olf ybelt having a speed substantially greater than said first belt speed.

6. A letter-conveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports extending along one surface thereof, a flexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertures adapted to register successively with said ports so as to retain a letter continuously against said belt to be transported therewith, means at a point along the path of said retained letters for releasing an edge of overlapped letters, and means adjacent said point for removing said overlapped letters, said last means comprising a pick-oft vacuum manifold having a surface along said original direction adjacent said letter-leading edges, said surface having a series of ports therealong, and a pick off belt moving along said pick-off manifold surface and having a series of apertures adapted successively to register with said pick-off manifold ports, whereby said overlapped letter-leading edges are attracted to said pick-off belt and manifold and are separated thereby from said retained letters.

7. A letter-conveying system comprising a stationary elongated vacuum manifold having a series of ports extending along one surface thereof, a flexible belt in contact with said manifold surface, means for continuously moving said belt in the direction of said series of ports, said belt having a series of apertures adapted to register successively with said ports so as to -retain a letter continuously against said belt to be transported therewith, means at a point along the path of said retained letters for releasing an edge of overlapped letters, said last means comprising termination of said series of ports adjacent said point, a second series of ports in said mani fold surface parallel to and displaced from said first port series and extending onward from adjacent said point, said belt having a second series of apertures registering -sal secen'd 4series effperts; in stagger'eirelaand belt apentures te Lrelease fthe lleaingedge fof each fetter prior to *its engagement with ssal'fs'ecendseies ef manifold ports and -bejlt apertwes, fanl anean's 'ajacen't sii pin't for Tempving said ovelapped letters.

" :58. letter-conveying :system tcomprising a `sta'titmary elongatel vacuum manifold having a ser-'ies ef perlts :extending Aalong L'one surface there'of, a exilile belt in foonta'et with said '-manifld surface, meansfor fcont'inneisly moving said belt in the direc-:tion ffii said fserfies #df Lports, sai belt Thaving la `series Jeff apertures adapted fte register successively with Isaid lper-ts so fas 4Fto retain a letterenntinuously 'against -said b'e'lt to be ftnansporlted ftherewith, said manifold pont series terminating at =a predetermined peint'of said sufaeasaid surface having Y'a Cse'ccmd fseiies fports -panall'el to and laterally isplaG'eclf-from fsaii *Erst seriesv and partially overlapping said lIirlst tex# 'tending beyond sai lpre'deerm'inel ipiin't, sadfbelt hav- References Cited in the {lezofthis partent 1 UNITED-'STATES PATENTS l1,136,960 ilel'eld 1915 2,3523983 Trump July 4, 1944 12,822,170 Frantz ;Pnb; 4 .1958 `258215,267- Persson Y.. .lilly :19578 Mama' 

